n.
- Greek Mythology. A spring in Macedonia, sacred to the Muses.
- A source of inspiration.
[From Latin Pīerius, sacred to the Muses, from Greek Pīeriā, a region of Macedonia.]
| Dictionary: Pierian Spring |
[From Latin Pīerius, sacred to the Muses, from Greek Pīeriā, a region of Macedonia.]
| Wikipedia: Pierian Spring |
The Pierian Spring from Greek mythology, is mentioned in Alexander Pope's poem "Essay on Criticism" as the metaphorical source of knowledge about art and science. Pieria was a region of ancient Macedonia, the location of Mount Olympus, believed to be the home and the seat of worship of Orpheus[1] and the Muses[2][3], the deities of the arts and sciences. The spring is believed to be a fountain of knowledge that inspires whoever drinks from it.
Lines 215 to 232 of Pope's poem read:
In Greek mythology, it was believed that drinking from the Pierian Spring would bring you great knowledge and inspiration. Thus, Pope is explaining how if you only learn a little it can "intoxicate" you in such a way that makes you feel as though you know a great deal. However, when "drinking largely" it "sobers" you now that you are wise and have a greater understanding, and also "drinking" it "largely sobers" you so you may never acquire complete wisdom and understanding.
The phrase was first used in the Satyricon written by Petronius (Titus Petronius Arbiter):
The opening stanza also appears in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, as Fire Captain Beatty chastizes Guy Montag, the protagonist, about reading books, which are forbidden in the society of the novel.
Sir William Jones (1746-1794) also made reference to "the fam'd Pierian rill" (a brook or rivulet) in his poem about the origin of chess, "Caissa".
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